Friday, March 04, 2005

Earlier this week the cycle ended. Many, mostly orthodox, Jews completed the 2,711-day cycle that is the reading of the Talmud. The Talmud is not a book that one reads, but rather a text that one studies. In about 7 and a half years many people complete the study of the whole talmud.

I think this is the largest gathering of Jews anywhere. It is quite remarkable that Jews can get together by the hundred thousand to celebrate the completion of an act of scholarship. Not everone who went completed the cycle, but that is what it was about. It is probably what I like most about Jews these days - they can all agree on the importance of learning.

This is like a whole percent of all Jews who showed up. I am glad Qaieda didn't know about this. I also wonder what the scalpers were charging.